Aragorn, Estel, Thorongil, Strider, Elessar
by The Best Guesst
Summary: This is going to be a collection of drabbles and one-shots going through Aragorn's timeline based on the trail of breadcrumbs Tolkien left in his books and the appendices. Basically, my take on Aragorn's life. I'm not rewriting anything Tolkien already wrote, simply expanding on Aragorn's life before we meet him in Fellowship of the Ring.
1. Birth (March 1, 2931)

Gilraen was exhausted and still feeling the pain of childbirth, but as she gazed down upon the child sleeping in her arms, she had to smile. Her husband, Arathorn, stood beside her, his face a mess of emotions, yet through it all she could see joy shining out, joy for their son.

Looking up at her beloved, Gilraen softly said, "Joyful is today that has given the world of Men a new hope in the face of darkness. Our son will be the doer of great deeds, a noble warrior, a valiant king. He shall be named Aragorn, and may he live up to his name."

"Aragorn," Arathorn murmured with a soft look on his face. "Yes, he will be great."

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 **A/N: Drop a review if you like it. Or if you don't. Or if you just want to say hi.**


	2. Moving to Rivendell (2933)

Gilraen sat deep in thought in the horse's saddle, a sleeping 2-year-old Aragorn in front of her, held safe in the circle of her arms. She knew that she was doing what was best for her son, but leaving behind their home (' _Arathorn's home,'_ her mind whispered) hurt more than she had thought. She knew Aragorn couldn't fully comprehend what happened, not yet, but he was perceptive enough to know that something was wrong. She hadn't told him yet, and wouldn't until they reached the Last Homely House, Imladris, that his father was slain. They had had but five short years together, but their love had been strong. Then, just over a week ago, the young ranger Umsiniath came with tidings of Arathorn's death at the hands of a company of orcs he had been hunting with the sons of Elrond. Gilaren wept for a short while, until Aragorn had tried to comfort her. After that, she did not cry in his presence, and was strong for her son, who did not even know why she was upset. Knowing what danger might come after her and her son now that her husband, chieftain of the rangers, was dead, she quickly packed up essentials and set out for the safest place she could think of. Now they were so close to safety that Gilraen could see the beautiful elven architecture that composed Imladris. She hugged Aragorn tighter to herself and whispered that everything would be okay.

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 **A/N: Let me know what you think of this by clicking that review button!**


	3. Meeting Elrond (2933)

Elrond was in his study when one of the front gate guards came knocking. He let the guard in without pausing in his work.

"Sir," the guard started hesitantly.

"Yes?" Elrond asked, slightly impatiently.

"There is a… human woman at the gate. She says she knows you, and would ask for your help."

Elrond was perturbed. He did not know many of the race of Man, and even fewer of their women. "Did she tell you a name?"

"She said it was Gilraen. Does that mean something to you?" the guard asked carefully.

Elrond had gone still at the name. Why would she be here, in Imladris? What could she need his help with? He realized he had gone too long without answering the guard, and abruptly stood up. "Yes, I know her, at least through her husband. I do not know why she is here but she would not come without good reason. Bring her up here."

"Yes, sir," the guard saluted, bowing his head and moving his hand from his chest out. "But sir, what about the child who is with her?"

"Child…? Bring him up as well." Elrond was confused as to why she would endanger a child by traveling through these lands, with all the dark creatures roaming around. He would find out soon enough.

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When Gilraen walked in carrying a very young child, no more than 2 years of age, Elrond was apprehensive, but by the end of her story, he had to sit down. The death of Arathorn hit Elrond hard, as he had considered the Man a friend, but also because the great Dúnedain were now left without a chieftain. And now the child would be a target to the forces of evil as his heir.

"Your child, what is his name?" Elrond asked.

Gilraen smiled softly. "Aragorn. He will be a great chieftain when he grows up, which leads me to my question. I want him to be able to grow up safely. Will you take him in as a foster son?"

Elrond was taken aback. Him as the father of a Man child? Sure, he had sons of his own, but he knew nothing of raising a Man.

"Why would you ask this of me, Gilraen?"

She was silent for a while, but Elrond kept his patience. Eventually, she was able to order her thoughts.

"This child is the last hope of the Race of Man. He is the last in the line of Isildur, and he must reach adulthood. And… he is my son, and I want the best for him. I know that you were friends with Arathorn, please, help me keep his son safe!" Gilraen pleaded as she held back tears.

Though the elf lord was very old, he had not hardened his heart against the plight of mortals. In fact, he could sympathize well with Gilraen, as he had lost his own wife to the evils of this world nearly 400 years before.

"Very well," Elrond said. "You both can stay."

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 **A/N: Thank you to DaisyInTheWild for reviewing and following and** **aliciacilliers07** **for following and favoriting** **!**

 **DaisyInTheWild: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far. Here's the next update!**


	4. Dwarves in Rivendell (2941)

**A/N: I'm happy to see interest in this! This chapter has a bit of a nod to the Hobbit movies.**

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Estel was sulking in his room. Of course, he would never admit that he was sulking, but it was hard to deny with his face scrunched up in a pout. Estel was not-sulking in his room because he wanted to hunt orcs with his brothers and the rest of the hunting party, but Elrond, his _Ada_ , said he was too small. A few hours into his not-sulk, after he forgot to be mad and turned to reading instead, Estel heard the horns announcing the successful return of the hunt. He bounced off the bed and bounded out of his room, eager to see his brothers and hear tales about the hunt.

The sight that greeted him as he looked down from the walkway stopped him short. By the hunter's entrance, there was a gathering of people, and not all of them were elves. They were short and stubby, and most had beards- they were dwarves! Estel had never seen dwarves before. He decided that he could stand not seeing his brothers for a little longer and decided to spy on the dwarves. It would help him practice his stealth, which _Ada_ said he lacked, and he would get to learn more about dwarves. Estel crept closer as the hunting party arrived and encircled the dwarves. Words were exchanged, but Estel was still too far to hear. Not for the first time, and probably not for the last, Estel silently cursed his mortal hearing. By the time he got close enough to hear what was being said, the dwarves were already being escorted into Imladris. Estel huffed in disappointment, then quickly ran off to find his father.

" _Ada_! _Ada_! There are dwarves here!"

Elrond smiled fondly as his foster-son came running up to him. "I know, Estel. I greeted them."

"Can I meet them? Please?" Estel implored. He even pulled out the cute pout that usually made people smile and agree with what he wanted. Unfortunately for Estel, Elrond had long since been immune to that look, and he had the duty of keeping Estel safe and secret.

"I am truly sorry, _ion-nin_ , but I cannot let you meet with them." Elrond knelt down to be at eye-level with Estel and put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "It is very important to keep your existence here a secret from all who might do you harm. These dwarves, while they do not know who you are, might tell of the human child in Rivendell to the wrong ears, and alert our enemies to you. You must keep away from them. I say this only to keep you safe, do you understand?"

Estel looked down, disappointed, before meeting Elrond's eyes and nodding. Elrond gave him a quick smile and stood up again. "Now, go find your brothers. I'm sure they would love to tell you about our orc-hunt." Estel immediately brightened and quickly ran off, shooting Elrond a quick smile over his shoulder. While Elrond knew that Estel wouldn't deliberately put himself in danger, he also knew that there was mischief in his smile.

Estel found his brothers in the stables, putting away the last of their equipment from the hunt. "Elladan, Elrohir, you're back!" Estel called. The twin sons of Elrond turned and smiled at their little brother.

"Hey Estel! Do you want to hear about the hunt?" Elladan asked.

"Yes," Estel answered, "but first, can you tell me where the dwarves are?"

Elladan and Elrohir shared a look, debating whether or not to tell him.

"Why do you want to know?" Elrohir asked. "I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to talk to outsiders."

Estel pouted. "I know. I just want to see them. Books don't tell you everything. Plus I want to work on my stealth"

"Sounds like you've thought of everything, _honeg_ ," Elladan laughed. The twins shared another silent conversation look. Elrohir sighed.

"The dwarves will be in the dining pavilion in half an hour. If you can get close enough without _Ada_ spotting you, you can study the dwarves all you want. But if anyone sees you, you have to let us train you in archery for the next two weeks."

Estel thought for a moment. _Ada_ was hard to sneak past, but maybe he'd be distracted enough by the dwarves… "Deal."

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 **A/N: I think I might write more for this, but I don't know.**

 ** _Ada_ \- father  
** ** _Ion-nin_ \- my son  
** ** _Honeg_ \- little brother**

 **Thank you** Sioux3 **and** tgo62 **for commenting! I am continuing this, and actually I have a whole timeline I'm working from. I'm going to try to post things in order, but I might get ideas for later on in the timeline before my earlier ones are done, or I might get an idea for an earlier story after posting later ones. That's why I always include the year in the chapter titles.**


	5. Among the Dúnedain (2956)

Aragorn silently crept through the underbrush, heading towards a small fire in a clearing. He couldn't quite pick out his brothers-in-arms as they followed him, but he knew they were there. The orcs ahead were loud enough that there was almost no chance of being detected, but Aragorn took no chances. Twice before he reached the edge of the clearing, he dispatched orc-lookouts to keep them from raising the alarm or running for help, and he knew his brethren did the same. At the edge of the clearing, Aragorn waited a few seconds to make sure everyone was in place before he gave the signal to attack and charged into battle.

The fight was short, all the orcs slain within twenty minutes. Fortune was on the side of the Dúnedain as there were only two casualties out of their group of ten, both only injured. The journey back was silent yet with a note of celebration. They soon reached the village hidden in the Emyn Uial and quickly handed off the wounded to the healers. Aragorn, as chieftain, stayed in the village square, congratulating his men and making sure they were taken care of. There would be no feasts that night, but the jubilant air was not dampened in the least.

As soon as his duties as chieftain were seen to, Aragorn slipped away to the privacy of his own home. He had hidden it well, but he had caught the edge of an orc-blade to his side. His men needed to see him as infallible, but he knew he was not. After he cleaned and treated his injury, Aragorn lay awake, contemplating his position in the Dúnedain. He was only 25, yet men far older and more experienced looked to him for guidance. It was daunting to say the least. Aragorn knew there must be a way to gain more battle and strategy experience without having to risk the lives of his men. He just needed to find it soon.

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 **A/N: This chapter fought me every step of the way. All I wanted to do was take a snippet out of Aragorn's leadership among the** **Dúnedain. Also, that last sentence is starting to set up to Aragorn's time as Thorongil. But I don't think that will be next chapter just yet.**

 **Please review to let me know how you are liking this so far!**


	6. Meeting Gandalf (2956)

Aragorn was scouting through the forests near the ruins of Fornost, on the lookout for orc-packs or wargs, when he saw a lone figure draped in grey walking along the path. Curious yet cautious, Aragorn crept closer to see the figure more clearly. The figure had on a wide brimmed hat, grey robes, and a grey-wood staff that seemed to be in use as a walking stick. He seemed old, as he had a long grey beard and walked slightly bent over. Once Aragorn was only a couple yards away, still hidden by the forest, the old man stiffened and turned towards him. Aragorn was startled, as he had been perfectly quiet, and hadn't even been moving when the man detected him. The old man, however, quickly relaxed and said, "You can come out now. I know you are there. I mean you no harm."

Aragorn thought briefly of simply fleeing, but the thought did not sit right with him, and his natural curiosity nagged at him to discover more of this mysterious man. He stood up fully and walked in plain view towards the old man, though he kept one hand on his sword. "Who might you be, wandering alone in these woods?"

"I could ask the same to you," the stranger answered, "though I already know the answer, Aragorn son of Arathorn. As for my name, I am known as Gandalf, though the Elves call me Mithrandir."

Aragorn had heard Elrond speak of Mithrandir, always with the highest regard. "Forgive me, Mithrandir, for not recognizing one such as you. If I may ask, how is it you know of me?"

Gandalf gave a short laugh, saying, "There is nothing to forgive. I knew of you back when you were still Estel in Rivendell, and when you became Aragorn, chieftain of the Dúnedain. I suspect you will gather more names ere long. I myself cannot seem to stop collecting them."

Aragorn was bemused by the strange old wizard, yet still one thought nagged at his mind. "Why are you here, Mithrandir? There are no elves around, and few enough rangers. What are you up to out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"I am in the process of securing the borders of the Shire, though it would be much easier if it were more than just me guarding the Little Folk."

Aragorn's brows raised. "The Rangers have been clearing the north of orcs for many years now. Is that not protecting the Little Folk as well?"

Gandalf shook his head, saying, "There are orcs that escape your net and wreak havoc on those peaceful souls that cannot defend themselves. Not often, I grant you, but often enough that there should be regular patrols in the Shire. I am sure that you can make that happen, chieftain of the Dúnedain."

"I can, though I do not know how my people will react to such a task. Are you certain it is necessary?"

Gandalf surveyed the forest around them as though remembering a fond memory. "Yes. Yes, I do believe it will be necessary in the years to come."

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 **A/N: I just wanna say that I have done so much freaking research into the timeline Tolkien left throughout all his books, I was able to name the date that Frodo destroyed the ring in a jeopardy game. Also, everything I write is completely canon compliant, to my knowledge.**

 **Please please please review to let me know that you are reading these, even if you just write a simple hi. Fave and Follow if you wanna.**


	7. The Beginnings of Thorongil (2957)

**A/N: Whoops. It's been a while. But one good thing about this pandemic is that I can finally update some stuff that's been sitting in my drafts for a while. Here we go!**

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Aragorn felt woefully under skilled. He found himself turning to Halbarad, the ranger who had been acting chieftain during the 18 years between Arathorn's death and Aragorn's return, for advice more often than not. It's not that he didn't appreciate the support, but Aragorn felt that he needed to learn by doing, by working his way up the ranks and earning his spot as chieftain.

But he couldn't do that with his own people. They respected him as a leader, and telling them to treat him as a new recruit would simply make them awkward, and wouldn't be the full experience for him. He discussed his dilemma with Halbarad, and the older ranger advised Aragorn to join the armies of men farther south.

"A lot of our men did their training with the armies. It gives them discipline and a respect for those in charge, and teaches them to work with those they don't particularly like. Here, we are all brothers, but even we have our differences. Even though you trained with the elves, you should have more experience among less experienced men. Learning to cover your comrades, especially those less experienced than you, is valuable in keeping everyone alive."

He clapped aragorn on the back and gave out a guffaw, saying, "It'll also show you the world. You've only seen a small corner, and a lot of that time was with elves, who have no desire to explore. You can spare a decade or so after making Captain in the armies of Men. Use your time wisely."

And so it was that Aragorn separated from his people once more, this time of his own accord, to learn more of the world he was destined to protect.

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 **A/N: I hope you all are still enjoying this! Even though it's taking me a while to write it. Student teaching has kicked my butt, but now that everything is online, it's still a lot of work but slightly easier and less draining. Please review to let me know you are still reading! Even a quick hi is appreciated!**

 **Thank you Dreams of Summertime for favoriting! Thank you Dreams of Summertime, Medilia, and katebirch for following!**


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